Deportation of Afghan migrants temporarily blocked in the US
A federal court has frozen the Trump administration's plan to forcibly repatriate Afghans via Pakistan. Members of Congress and lawyers warned that these immigrants could face the threat of torture and death in their homeland.
Deportation of Afghan migrants temporarily halted in the US
US Federal Judge Valerie Caproni has temporarily frozen the Trump administration's plan to deport Afghan migrants to Afghanistan or Pakistan. This decision was made following concerns raised by human rights defenders and members of Congress.
66 members of the US House of Representatives and Senate sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin. It noted that returning vulnerable people would expose them to the threat of persecution, torture, and even death.
The United States often sends migrants to countries with which it has no official diplomatic relations through third countries. In this case as well, officials had planned to deport approximately 150 Afghans from the state of Louisiana to their homeland via Pakistan.
Those facing deportation include women, former police officers, members of religious minorities, and families of individuals who assisted the US military. Most of them fled their homeland due to persecution.
Rights organizations state that individuals returned to Afghanistan face the risk of arbitrary imprisonment, execution, and beatings. Women and girls, in particular, will be forced to live in harsh conditions, deprived of education, work, and freedom of speech.
Prior to Washington's decision, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs had also expressed concern over the US plan to hand Afghans over to Pakistan. The ministry emphasized that all decisions must be based on human rights.
Human rights organizations, meanwhile, are concerned that the details of this agreement between the US and Pakistan have not been disclosed. According to lawyers, the court decision has not completely solved the problem, but merely temporarily suspended the process.